Page 62 of Only Cold Depths
“Perhaps. Daichi also doesn’t know what the mercenaries wanted with the jewels they stole from the mineral exchange.”
“Asterin promised to get me a list of everything the mercs targeted,” Vesper replied. “Maybe seeing the full list will give us some more insights into their plans.”
My gaze flicked over to the chunk of sapphsidian sitting on a table that Vesper had recovered from one of the mercenaries’ backpacks. Perhaps Vesper was right, and Esmina and Pollux simply wanted to destroy House Collier, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling the mercenaries had a much bigger—and deadlier—goal.
Vesper stepped out from behind the dressing screen. “Well?” she asked, spreading her arms out wide. “How do I look?”
My breath froze in my throat, and my heart tumbled every which way inside my chest. I had seen Vesper in formal gowns before, but the Erzton garment was truly a work of art.
The gown was predominantly silver, the same silver as my frilly shirt, and the layers of gauzy fabric clung to Vesper’s body, highlighting her strong curves. Each layer was covered with glittering black crystals, along with tiny pieces of sapphsidian nestled together in the shape of mammoth butterflies.
The shimmering mosaic pattern started at the top of the scalloped neckline, and tiny butterflies dotted the tight, sleeveless bodice before morphing into larger creatures that covered the long, flowing skirt. Vesper shifted from side to side on her silver heels, and the layers fluttered, making it look as though the butterflies were flitting all around her.
Vesper’s dark brown hair had been set into loose waves that brushed her shoulders, and small silver butterfly pins glinted in her locks. She’d threaded a larger silver butterfly brooch studded with blue opals and sapphsidians onto a black velvet ribbon and was wearing it as a choker around her neck. Dark blue shadow and silver liner brought out those same colors in her eyes, while her lips were a pale, frosted, silvery blue.
“Does speechless mean I look good?” Vesper teased.
I stepped forward so that I was looming over her. “You are utterly breathtaking.”
A pleased blush pinkened her cheeks, and the same emotion rippled along the velvety ribbon of her in my mind.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” Vesper flicked one of the puffy frills on my chest. “Nice shirt.”
“For a bloody penguin,” I grumbled.
She laughed, and the sound warmed me from head to toe. I stepped even closer, captured her waist with my hands, and lowered my mouth to hers.
Even though I had kissed Vesper hundreds of times before, awareness coursed through me. The electric touch of her lips against mine. The quickening pulse in the hollow of her throat. The rise and fall of her chest. The sweet, soft scent of spearmint soap clinging to her smooth skin.
Vesper hummed with pleasure, stood up on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around my neck. She deepened the kiss, her tongue flicking out against mine. More electricity jolted through me, and I growled, every part of my body stiffening with desire.
Our tongues stroked together, fast and hard, then slow and soft, and I lost myself in the heady sensations of her.
After the better part of a minute, we broke apart, both of us breathing hard. I leaned down and rested my forehead against hers. “I have a splendid idea. Why don’t we skip the marriage mart and stay here? No enemies, no agendas, nothing but the two of us.”
Heat shimmered in Vesper’s eyes. “Oh, I think we would both have an agenda.”
She sighed and drew back. “As much as I would love to stay here and peel that frilly shirt off you, the Colliers want us to attend the marriage mart. Our position here is precarious enough without pissing off our hosts.”
Vesper bit her lower lip. “Besides, I feel like it’s important we go to the marriage mart.”
“Why? Are you seeing something with your power?”
The silver flecks in her eyes brightened like matches flaring in the dark. Then her gaze dimmed, and she shook her head. “No, I’m not seeing anything. It’s more of a . . . feeling. It’s hard to explain.” Her face twisted into a bitter expression. “Maybe Icouldexplain it, and maybe I could actually seesomething, if I was a precog like Esmina.”
“You don’t have to be a precog. You told me about your vision. How you saw what Esmina did to get her power. How she killed that boy, her friend, like it wasnothing.”
Vesper shuddered. “It was awful. Truly. But with that kind of magic, with that much power . . .” Her voice trailed off for a moment. “Well, it would keep us both safe. From Holloway, the Techwave, and everyone else who might be targeting us.”
My fingers tightened around her waist. “We keep each other safe, and we don’t need any power other than what we have together. Tried and true, remember?”
“Always.” Vesper smiled at my echoing her words from last night, but her cheerful expression swiftly melted away.
She pressed a kiss to my lips, then stepped out of my arms, grabbed a small silver blaster off a table, and slid it into a hidden pocket in her skirt.
Not for the first time, I cursed Esmina for targeting Vesper—and all the doubts the other seer had created about our bond and psion powers and whether they would be enough to protect us from our many enemies.
VesperandIleftour suite and went to the courtyard in front of the main castle. Just like me, Aldrich, Leland, and Rigel were dressed in formal tailcoats with frilly shirts, although their garments were the emerald green of House Collier. Verona and Siya were wearing lovely similarly colored gowns trimmed with gold thread and sequins, while Asterin was clad in a gray gown studded with bits of lunarium.
